Volume 1 Issue 52
February 26, 2009
 Hi !
As promised, Part 2 of "F*at Loss Toolkit": EPOC is today's Feature Article. A little research evidence always serves to enlighten and inform! If you missed Part 1, you'll find it here.
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Research correlates high intensity exercise with leaner body composition
Read in the article in full below, or link directly to blog post
Additional Blog Posts Since Last
Week:
TeleClass March 5 with Ali Brown, "How to Create Your OWN Strong Economy This Year... With Online Information Marketing."
F*at Loss Toolkit Item! EPOC Part 2: Crank Up The Calorie Burn
by
Lani Muelrath, M.A.
Ready for Part 2?
Quick snapshot? EPOC stands for "excess post-exercise oxygen consumption".
Basically, this is the sustained oxygen consumption that takes place after exercise that is the telltale sign of increased calorie consumption.
I promised to get back to you and
take a closer look at details of some of the research on EPOC. That
way you can strategize to take advantage of this phenomenon in your own
training.
International Journal of Obesity: A Report of Two Studies
Two studies were conducted to assess the potential of an increase in exercise intensity to alter energy expenditure, lipid metabolism, and body fatness under conditions mimicking real life.
Specifically, the experimental protocol was designed to determine how high-intensity exercise might effect post-exercise post-prandial (post meal) energy and lipid metabolism.
To simplify, the 352 subjects were measured for post-exercise energy expenditure via measures of oxygen consumption.
[Reference: M Yoshioka et. al. Impact of high-intensity exercise on energy expenditure, lipid oxidation and body fatness. Intl. Journal of Obesity. (2001) V 25 N 3].
The Findings
The results of these studies point right in the direction of the value of increased exercise intensity in terms of the effect it has on:
1) Increased energy expenditure following the exercise. This is compared to lower intensity exercise that may even have been a session that utilized more energy DURING it's duration!
In other words, comparing a longer,
lower intensity session that burned more calories during execution than
a shorter, more intense workout, the short intense workout had a greater energy demand over the course of the hours following the exercise sessions.
This means a negative energy balance, a critical consideration when seeking to reduce bodyfat stores. That's what is meant by "lipid metabolism".
2) Leaner body composition is highly correlated with an exercise schedule that includes regular high intensity workouts.This
means that those who have some high intensity sessions in their
schedule tend to be leaner, with less subcutaneous fat as well.
... also consistent with results from our most recent clinical trial that demonstrated that reduced-obese individuals who adhered to a rather high-intensity prescription were able to maintain their body weight and even accentuate fat loss....results
from our group which demonstrated that a 15-week high-intensity
intermittent training protocol induced a significantly greater weight
loss than a 20-week moderate intensity continuous exercise program of
almost twice the energy cost.
Furthermore, the increase
oxygen consumption observed after the high-intensity exercise session
was also significantly greater than that promoted by the low-intensity
exercise session.
Exercise Intensity and Adiposity
As you can see, this study revealed
two important pieces of information that you can use when designing
your own training program.
With a direct correlation between subjects who regularly took part in intense physical activities and a display of lower body fat percentage and subcutaneous adiposity
than subjects who never perform such activities, it follows that
including bouts of intensity into your own exercise schedule might
likewise prove beneficial.
What does "intensity" mean? In the
test subjects, intensity was noted as 77% of VO2 max for the high
intensity group, and 38% VO2 Max for the low intensity group. The high
intensity group worked out for shorter sessions than the low intensity
group, and the low intensity group ex ended more calories during the
exercise sessions.
However, and notably, the high intensity test subjects expended more energy overall, considering the EPOC effect!
How To Take Advantage of the EPOC Effect
First, determine that your health
and fitness can tolerate exercise intensity.
In other words, if you
haven't been very active for awhile or you have other
counter-indicators in terms of exercise intensity, proceed with
caution and check with your health care provider. There's my disclaimer!
But once you're in the clear, you
might consider stepping up the intensity of 2 - 3 of your workout
sessions during the week. Intensity can be increased by amount of resistance and/or speed. Interval Training, and high intensity resistance training are good examples of of how to build some intensity into your exercise rotation.
In other words, work hard, get a little winded, and enjoy the fact that you don't need to work out as long, just smarter!
© Lani Muelrath
P.S. How are YOU working intensity into your weekly routine? Pop into comments and tell me about it!
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